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You Won’t Believe What Running a Startup is Really Like

October 27, 2009 by Ben Yoskovitz

…until you’ve actually done it.

If you’re running a startup, or thinking about it, or have an inclination that some day you want to, or you work at one, go read Paul Graham’s latest essay, What Startups Are Really Like.

For me it reads like my “startup autobiography”. He’s publishing a list of “surprises” that he asked Y Combinator members to send him about startup life. Nearly every single one of them is something I’ve experienced. And I can guarantee you that’s the same for most startup founders.

  • People can tell you all they want about what it’s like to run a startup (including me!), but until they’ve done so themselves, they really don’t know.
  • And on top of that, you won’t really listen anyway – until you’ve jumped in, started a company and you’re off to the races. Then, as you experience these “surprises” you’ll remember what you were once told (or read) about startups, and hopefully benefit from that knowledge.

But you have to experience it to believe it.

Filed Under: Startups

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Ben Yoskovitz

Founding Partner at Highline Beta, a hybrid venture studio and VC firm that works with large, ambitious companies to identify new areas of opportunity through internal and external innovation.

Previously I was VP Product at VarageSale and GoInstant (acq. $CRM), and Founding Partner at Year One Labs.

Angel investments include: Breather, Spoiler Alert, SendWithUs and others.

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